Anything & Everything

Do Americans Trust Politicians?

There has always been a segment of the population that simply doesn’t trust government or the politicians that run the government. But it seems like in the last few years there have been a rash of politicians of both parties that don’t seem to mind lying to voters — whether it be about their own lives or the programs they support (or oppose). Hypocrisy has almost become a requirement for elected office.

The Hill decided that wanted to see just how big a percentage of the population thought politicians were dishonest, so they commissioned a poll by Pulse Opinion Research of 1,000 likely voters. The poll was conducted on June 9th. It seems that a significant majority of the population has a pretty low opinion of politicians — of both parties and sexes. Here are the results:

ARE MOST CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS UNETHICAL OR PRINCIPLED? Unethical……………58% principled……………25% Unsure……………17%

WHICH POLITICAL PARTY IS MORE TRUSTWORTHY? (General Population) Republicans……………29% Democrats……………31% Neither……………36% (Independents) Republicans……………20% Democrats……………19% Neither……………54%

ARE MEN OR WOMEN POLITICIANS MORE ETHICAL & HONEST? Men……………5% Women……………33% Same……………60%

DO YOU APPROVE OF THE JOB THE CURRENT CONGRESS IS DOING? Approve……………28% Disapprove……………69%

Those are some pretty bad numbers — and it extends to both parties and sexes (although women are slightly more trusted than men). Frankly, if I was a politician I don’t think I’d admit it in public these days.